1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is in the field of methods and apparatus used to prevent the presence of paramagnetic or ferromagnetic objects in a controlled area.
2. Background Art
It can be desirable to exclude paramagnetic and ferromagnetic objects from a controlled area. For instance, paramagnetic and ferromagnetic objects are highly unsafe near MRI systems, because the strong magnetic gradients caused by MRI magnets exert a strong force on such objects, potentially turning them into dangerous missiles. Several accidents, some fatal, are known to have occurred as the result of someone inadvertently carrying such an object into the MRI room. Current MRI safety practices rely on signage and training to prevent people from taking such objects into the MRI chamber. Paramagnetic and ferromagnetic objects which can be weapons may also be unsafe in other controlled areas, such as schools.
Use of known conventional metal detectors, whether portals or wands, would not be efficient for the purpose of pre-MRI screening. Further, the fact that pistols usually have a ferromagnetic barrel makes a ferromagnetic detector valuable in the school environment and in other security environments, while eliminating the aggravation of detecting non-ferromagnetic metallic objects, which are less likely to be offensive, and which probably do not carry the risk of a hand-gun. Conventional systems generate an audio-band oscillating or pulsed magnetic field with which they illuminate the subject. The time-varying field induces electrical eddy currents in metallic objects. It is these eddy currents which are detected by the system, to reveal the presence of the metallic objects.